Ertz, Eifert top NFL prospects at tight end

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Zach Ertz of Stanford and Tyler Eifert of Notre Dame are two of the top tight end prospects in the upcoming NFL draft. (AP Photo/Matt York)

There were times during the NFL combine when Zach Ertz found himself awestruck at the faces before him, interviewing him for his pending career.

The Stanford tight end met with every team in February. He had formal interviews with 20, including the Texans, and informally met with the remaining 12. It was early in the process and Ertz wasn’t yet comfortable in it.

By the time he got to his pro day, the drills and tests that would be asked of him came naturally and he excelled. His vertical leap was 5 inches higher than the 30.5 inches he jumped at the combine. His 40-yard time was 4.76 seconds at the combine, and he ran between 4.57 and 4.63 at his pro day.

“I think at the end of the day, your film is your résumé,” Ertz said. “You put all the work in to be a good football player.”

The film from the season set apart two tight ends entering this year’s draft — Ertz and Notre Dame’s Tyler Eifert — in an era when tight ends are becoming increasingly valuable to NFL teams. Some of the most successful teams employ tight ends whose receiving skills can create significant mismatches for opposing defenses. While a less-talked-about position for the Texans, they could look to draft a tight end early.